Streak

[Kitt]

There is a simpler explanation for the slow down of time passage.  Mark is now into the early new millennium. He has approximately 12 years of history left to work with. If he jumps ten years into the future with the next book he will shortly run out of historic happenings to reference in his work.  Would any of you want to sit around waiting for something momentous to happen for Mark to use in a subsequent story? 

[Timothy M.]

Would any of you want to sit around waiting for something momentous to happen for Mark to use in a subsequent story? 

 

  :no:

[PrivateTim]

Fair enough, I'll accept getting the view they wanted meant only three bedrooms were available. But I'm sure Brad could have afforded a comfortable sofa-that-folds-out-to-a-bed in his office, if he wanted to. The fact remains Brad considers the condo a private place for him and Marc and no one else. He wasn't even happy to have Will and JP visit (did you notice how surprised JP was that Will hadn't seen the place yet?). I'm not saying Brad doesn't have the right to feel that way, but then he should have done the Sunday dinners with his Family, as Will suggested.

 

Freakin' A, Palo Alto is 30 minutes down the 280 if you aren't leaving at rush hour. There is no reason for any family member to want to spend the night in the City other than they want to spend the night in the City and if they do, there isn't one that can't afford a suite at the Mandarin Oriental, Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton, Palace or any other five star hotel in the City.

 

As to family dinner, it is one thing when you live in the house or in the same city (Jack & Claire), but how many people here are still going to Daddy's house for dinner every week? I don't think wanting a break from those is a bad thing and it certainly isn't Will's place to tell anyone else what to do.

[Kitt]

Call me strange, but I don't see it as odd for a dude of any age to want to see his father once a week or so. And this isn't just one generation we are speaking of here. For all intents and purposes JP is Brad's father and one would think Brad would want to see him regularly as well.

 

But then, maybe I am the odd one. I enjoyed spending time with my parents and we socialized regularly as adults.

[methodwriter85]

There is a simpler explanation for the slow down of time passage.  Mark is now into the early new millennium. He has approximately 12 years of history left to work with. If he jumps ten years into the future with the next book he will shortly run out of historic happenings to reference in his work.  Would any of you want to sit around waiting for something momentous to happen for Mark to use in a subsequent story? 

 

Mark's never skipped 10 years. The longest gap he's had was between The Landwhore and Be Rad, with six years- 1974 to 1980.

 

I can see Mark maybe skipping over a year  (if JJ's not at the Olympics I don't think there's much reason to cover 2006 because that was one boring year) but I don't think we'll ever get a gap like that again.

 

It's funny though-I really thought that JJ and I would both be in our 20's at some point. JJ's barely 17 and I'm 30 in December. LOL. Oh, well. The mid/late 2000's were "my time", so to speak, so I'm excited about seeing how these characters go through it. In any event I'm tickled pink that it's now 2003- that's when the 2000's really started feeling like the 2000's instead of the late 90's.

 

Although I always thought that if/when our CAP characters reach present day (Mark did say he intends to have these characters eventually catch up and hit present day), Mark could always start a new series of prequels that deal with say, the Crampton family establishing Claremont in Ohio in the 1800's, or maybe the history of Wade's family, which you know HAS to be juicy as hell.

 

 

I think JP is right. There was never the level of anger in this country over going back to war; not even when it turned out that there were not and probably never had really been any WMD in Iraq, that was there for Vietnam. I think the level of disillusionment with the government was growing so fast that even in 2003 people felt that they just could not really make a difference.

 

 

It was hard to feel outrage, I think, when the people who were there were there by choice.

 

I knew guys/girls in the military back in college, and it was so weird to me that they had gone off into Iraq risking their lives, while most of us were just focused on ragers, updating our phones, and The Hills. (Later, Jersey Shore.) My college was notoriously politically apathetic (which is funny because our current Vice President is an alumni), and the turnouts for the Iraq War protests were pretty small. One year we did a "soldier die in", where we layed down on the Green dressed up as soldiers and played dead, and I think maybe 15 people showed up.

 

Back in high school, right before the war, we did a school walk-out at 9:11 a.m. (the symbolism, right?), and protested at the corner of DuPont Road and Lancaster Ave. We actually started to get a sizeable crowd- maybe 50 students from both Cab Calloway and Charter School of Wilmington- and we were yelling things like "Drop Bush, Not Bombs!" and "Fuck This Oil War Shit!", but then our dean came out and basically threatened to expel us unless we went back to class. We were told before that we'd get a detention, which I was fine with, but expulsion? Nah.

 

Also, some middle school students showed up and they were clearly on there because they wanted to cut class.

 

After I got back to class, my English teacher, a former Black Panther back in the 1960's, minced no words about how she thought we were foolish, disorganized, and didn't even get the media there.

Edited May 15, 2015 by methodwriter85

[Kitt]

 

Although I always thought that if/when our CAP characters reach present day (Mark did say he intends to have these characters eventually catch up and hit present day), Mark could always start a new series of prequels that deal with say, the Crampton family establishing Claremont in Ohio in the 1800's, or maybe the history of Wade's family, which you know HAS to be juicy as hell.

Juicy, and giving him up to 300 yrs of history to play with all over again. I can easily see Wade's family being some of the first Virginia residents.

 

 

Oh - and just because Mark HASN'T jumped 10 years at a clip so far does not mean he cannot or will not. That was a number to use for an example, however. Not a suggestion Mark!

Edited May 14, 2015 by Kitt

[mmike1969]

Actually I am surprised we have not yet met the Danfields in Mark's other story HMS Vallient.

[methodwriter85]

Actually I am surprised we have not yet met the Danfields in Mark's other story HMS Vallient.

 

I'm pretty sure the Danfields are too busy with their tobacco plantations and setting up Virginia society to show up in the story.

 

They're probably also getting themselves involved with the building of the new District of Columbia.

Edited May 15, 2015 by methodwriter85

[PrivateTim]

Actually I am surprised we have not yet met the Danfields in Mark's other story HMS Vallient.

 

Well we will NOW!

[Timothy M.]

Reply from Mark Arbour (author)

You assume I'm that cliche, that I'd insist on outing Zach since JJ was injured? SMILE.

 

I shall be more than happy to have my fears proved wrong - but I'm not sure I'll like it better if you let Zach's career end with a leg injury too. But I suppose that would make some sort of parallel since Streak has been about two athletes in the closet.

 

Oh and the story description of Brad: Learning to be a single guy. 

didn't quite happen, did it?

And the first line of my review for ch 48 works for ch 49 too.

[methodwriter85]

JJ being out for the 2003-2004 season basically lines up with his senior year of high school- would he go to a school in Boston, or would he try to finish at a school in California? As Mark and Blue have pointed out, this family isn't going to let him get away with a GED, and they'd want him to have a diploma from a good high school. He no longer has the excuse of skating to keep from attending school. I don't think his family would be cool with him continuing to home school when it's not necessary anymore. I wonder what's going to happen there. I personally like the idea of JJ at a bitchy East Coast private school ala Gossip Girl or Cruel Intentions. I'd love to see him become the Blair Waldorf of his school. LOL. (He is SOOOO the Blair to Will's Serena.)

 

 

 

 Fitting as the end of this book draws near, that we see a more balanced JJ despite what is going on in his life. When a person starts to recognize their own flaws, or listen to peoples opinions about them ( Will ), and actually have the strength of character to modify them, it shows maturity. JJ's streak may be temporarily sidetracked, but his world seems to be getting bigger... it is no longer just about skating... it is more about discovering who he is as well as who he wants to be. You have shown us an intriguing character in JJ.

 

I kinda feel like JJ has been in this LONG character arc about how he can't really just hide in a safe cocoon away from the rest of the world. That is JJ's natural instinct. His life started to get dominated by skating in 1998, with Jeanine as his stage mother and Tiffany as his coach/other mother. Then Jeanine went crazy, and his coach started molesting him. Then Robbie got involved with JJ's life and JJ made him into his replacement Jeanine, and things got worse. Then 9/11 happened, with Jeanine and Robbie both being gone, and the end result is that Will has taken a big interest in JJ's life and won't let him just stomp off onto his own.

 

Now JJ's in the blush of his first love, but at the same time, he can't just pull Alex into his own world and make everything about him because Alex has his own family. And now JJ doesn't have the refuge of the ice anymore- who is he away from being JJ the Figure Skater? He doesn't have any place to hide anymore. Now he really has to deal with himself. It'll be interesting to see what his life is going to be like now that he can't just go the ice whenever he doesn't want to deal with something.

 

I'm kind of assuming that's why Mark decided to give JJ this injury and not just something that might have kept him away for a few months.

[methodwriter85]

Tim and Mark's quotes from the reviews:

As to JJ, it is nice he is planning his return, but I hope in this recovery period he finds out how cool life is once something like skating stops dominating your life.

It's an interesting stage for JJ. He's been totally wrapped up in the skating world, and now this injury will tear him away from it. You may be right, in that if could be like breaking a spell.

 

 

 

Does he try to be a regular (for a 1 percenter) teenager? Can he do things he's never really done before- like getting drunk at a party, getting high because he no longer has to worry about drug tests, and do normal stupid kid stuff? You're written JJ as a very uptight guy who's that way mostly because he's very concerned about the image he has to project. (And, well, he's also a major snob.)

 

I'd love to see him loosen up a little bit now that the pressure is off him to be the Disney-friendly JJ Schluter, Elite Figure Skater. Probably still won't go anything near as NC-17 wild as Will in Rome, but maybe something like Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday. (God, I am so gay.) I like JJ being more proper than his brothers and I hope we keep it that way! LOL.

 

Another thing from the chapter I loved:

 

 

I stared at the massive house as we drove up to it.  For me, this was our ancestral home, kind of like Bridgemont was to Alex, or Goodwell was to Wade, but it wasn’t where I lived.  It was a place I liked to visit and spend time.  To Will, this place was the center of his world.  Darius viewed it like I did; home for him was Malibu, or the LA area.  I didn’t really have a home.  Maybe that was part of my problem.

 

I loved the insight here. Absolutely loved it. It's bang-on true about the differences between Will, Darius, and JJ. Will's anchor is the place where his family came from. He's pretty much the only family member of his generation that seems to give any kind of shit about Claremont. Darius's anchor is where he grew up- where he was Mr. Popular at Malibu High School and had his fun as the Prince of the Colony. (And I'm sure he did an awful lot of partying around the Los Angeles social scene.)

 

JJ's different. His adolescence years have been shaped by hotels and competitions and traveling, not having things like best friends or favorite hang-outs, etc etc. He doesn't have that kind of anchor, or feel that he belongs to a place.

 

Maybe part of it is just JJ's sign- he's a Sagittarius, and a big part of that is a real love of traveling and experiencing new places. I think JJ's ultimately winding up a jet-setting Continental type, but we'll see.

Edited May 19, 2015 by methodwriter85

[Daddydavek]

The baby had to be Matt's and the naming was perfect even if Matt doesn't seem to have a say.

 

Will knows JJ so well and I suspect that JJ knows it and plays to form.

 

The dialogue in the delivery room was hilarious,however, from my limited experience in delivery rooms there was a lot more whining, cussing and even cursing from the mom.

 

Seems like Will is the designated coach and I bet he spoils those babies.   

[Kitt]

Speaking from personal experience there certainly was much more cursing and even a few death threats.

[Headstall]

The baby had to be Matt's and the naming was perfect even if Matt doesn't seem to have a say.

 

Will knows JJ so well and I suspect that JJ knows it and plays to form.

 

The dialogue in the delivery room was hilarious,however, from my limited experience in delivery rooms there was a lot more whining, cussing and even cursing from the mom.

 

Seems like Will is the designated coach and I bet he spoils those babies.   

I've been in the delivery room four times, and while there was no cursing, there were sounds and noises I've never heard before or since I'm glad we men don't have to do that

[B1ue]

SF has very strict building codes and an oppositions towards building super-tall skyscrapers like Manhattan, which is why housing is so expensive there- there's a very limited stock, especially in protected historic districts. On one hand it's cool to see to see skyline pictures of all these beautiful 1920's/1930's houses; but the drawback is that people are pretty cramped and they can't build up because again, San Francisco doesn't want to be Manhattan.

I missed this last week, but SF can't be the next Manhattan. It is physically impossible. I've mentioned it before, but the geology of San Francisco puts pretty severe restrictions on the kind of buildings that can go up, and where, and that's before you factor in earthquakes.

 

I like JJ and WIll's relationship. I also think Will would do great with a cat. He's already used to caring and cosseting a creature inclined to favor his worship with hostile noises and death threats.

Edited May 20, 2015 by B1ue

[methodwriter85]

 

I like JJ and WIll's relationship. I also think Will would do great with a cat. He's already used to caring and cosseting a creature inclined to favor his worship with hostile noises and death threats.

 

I like how it's evolved, too. I think Will is the only person that seems to truly get and understand JJ. JJ needs that, badly. Alex is a sweet boyfriend but they are FAR from a 'warts and all' relationship, and someone like JJ really could use that.

 

 

The coming book should be interesting for who the narrator(s) is(are). Will will return to Harvard Westlake to be near Zach? Will Zach have time for Will? What will Alex do to handle Mary Ellen? How will JJ come to terms with the end of his career, or will he realize yet?

 

I can't see Will going back to Harvard Westlake just be near Zach. That's Darius's m.o.- it's not Will's. Will's going into senior year, he really likes Menlo and the friends he's made there over what it was like at HW, and I think he likes that he'll graduate with Marie in the class of '04.

 

The question here though is whether or not JJ joins Will at Menlo, or he stays and Boston and goes to prep school there, because like I said, there's no way his family is going to let him get away with homeschooling when he's a senior and no longer needs to be focused on figure skating. They'll want him to have a diploma from an esteemed high school. They might let him get away with putting off college, but they'd definitely insist that he finishes high school with a reputable school.

 

I also think that if JJ and Alex stay together, he'd probably insist on JJ taking education more seriously.

 

I mean, I suggested that JJ should have gotten an GED when he turned 16 but Blue and then Mark pretty much shut me down on that, so there has to be some schooling in the future for JJ. His breeding and environment pretty much mandates it.

 

As for the Iraq War...I really want to see how Claremont reacts to it, what with their new defense plants and all that tech stuff they're doing there.

Edited May 21, 2015 by methodwriter85

[Kitt]

With a goodly portion of the family still in Claremont, and Gathan having shown an interest in the towns political structure in past stories, I can easily see a goodly portion of the next story taking place there. Midwest towns have huge patriotic tendencies, and I am sure enrollment in the military will go up there, as well as the new Triton plant possibly needing to increase the manpower.  Will be interesting to watch how JP deals with his dream of revitalizing his hometown comes about financed in part by war, something JP is so steadfastly against.

[B1ue]

Agreed. In the immediate sense, Claremont is going to be pro-war. It was rather fascinating how totally patriotic fervor gripped rural America.

 

Then their sons and daughters are going to start coming home in body bags. Not in the numbers that the Vietnam war or either World War claimed, but enough. "Support the war" will slowly morph into "Support our troops," which is supporting the war with a human face, and doesn't require complicated thinking about how those troops got into the situation in the first place.

[GLH]

Yeah, I know I've been a little slow on getting this out there, but I'm recuperating from my three day stint at DePaul Health Center in Bridgeton, MO. Anyway, since I'm sure you've all been sitting with bated breath in anticipation, here's the numbers:

 

Shortest posting interval:  Chapters 49-50 - 2 days, 13 hours, one minute. (2d, 13:01)

 

Average posting interval:  Five days, nineteen hours, 50 minutes, 43 seconds (5 d, 19:50:43)

 

Weighted average posting interval: (highest and lowest posting intervals removed from averaging) Four days, nineteen hours, 51 minutes, 59 seconds

(4d:19:51:59)

 

Longest posting interval:  Chapters 42-43 - 56 days, one hour, 41 minutes (56d:01:41).

 

Length of Publication:  285 days, twelve hours, 25 minutes; or nine months, twelve days, 12 hours, 25 minutes  (285d:12:25)

 

Number of chapter posting intervals that fell within one hour of the average posting time:  one (Chapters 40-41)

[Timothy M.]

Yeah, I know I've been a little slow on getting this out there, but I'm recuperating from my three day stint at DePaul Health Center in Bridgeton, MO. Anyway, since I'm sure you've all been sitting with bated breath in anticipation, here's the numbers:

 

Oh, I thought you were just waiting for Mark to change the story status to Completed, in case he added an unexpected Epilogue or something.

 

Hope you're feeling better now.

[Daddydavek]

Hey @Mark Arbour I see you've been updating the chapters to this story.  Can you give us a heads-up about the changes and are we going to have to re-read?

[Mark Arbour]

On 7/3/2019 at 7:17 PM, Daddydavek said:

Hey @Mark Arbour I see you've been updating the chapters to this story.  Can you give us a heads-up about the changes and are we going to have to re-read?

Sorry about that.  I did some editing to make the story better, and in fact, that’s one of the ways I worked my way back to writing.  Nothing substantive has changed, though, just took care of some nit picky things that bugged me.  I’ll update the other chapters as well.